The present invention is directed to kitchen appliances for cooking foodstuff in a liquid and, more particularly, to a deep fryer or other similar cooking apparatus that enables a user to quickly and conveniently drain and/or pour cooking oil from within the interior of a container of the deep fryer once cooking of the foodstuff is complete.
Deep fryers are a relatively common household or restaurant appliance that are used to cook or fry foodstuff, typically chicken breasts, turkey breasts, French fries or other foodstuff that is desired to be fried. A typical deep fryer includes a housing which holds the cooking oil or other liquid to be heated and a basket which is placed inside the housing and which holds the foodstuff to be cooked. A heating coil, located inside the deep fryer, heats the liquid to a desired temperature to cook the foodstuff within the basket.
Once cooking is complete, disposal of the liquid used to cook the foodstuff is often an inconvenience for the user. Therefore, it is desirable that the liquid or cooking oil inside the deep fryer can be quickly and conveniently poured or dispensed into another container or a drain to assure that the liquid is not inadvertently spilled outside the deep fryer or that the liquid does not accidentally reach sensitive electrical components of the deep fryer. In the same sense, it would be desirable to provide structure within the deep fryer that permits a user to conveniently drain the liquid or cooking oil once cooking is complete.
When removing or pouring the liquid or oil from a deep fryer, a user prefers to have full control over the deep fryer to assure that the liquid is not spilled outside of the deep fryer. Further, it is important that the various components of the deep fryer are securely held in place such that the structure of the deep fryer maintains its proper position as the cooking oil is removed or drained from the deep fryer. It is also desirable that the deep fryer is constructed in a relatively tight and/or compact manner to assure that inadvertent or errant drips or cooking stuff do not enter relatively sensitive or purposefully confined areas of the deep fryer.
Further, conventional deep fryers often come with several components or pieces that fit together, such as the housing and basket. Typically, it is the user's responsibility to properly position the components together before cooking the foodstuff. However, this can create an inconvenience for the user if the assembly is not straightforward or simple. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a deep fryer with a structure that allows for quick and convenient assembly.